Facebook Home now available for download

OK, boys and girls. Now's the time to see what all the fuss is about over this Facebook Home thing. As promised, it's now available in the United States, for free, from the Google Play Store. (It's actually still propagating in Google Play as we write this. If you don't see it immediately, hang tight. It's coming.)

If you've somehow missed all the hullabaloo over the past week, Facebook Home is part custom launcher, part messaging client -- and all Facebook. You install it and get your friends Facebook posts front and center, in a nicely designed sort of lock screen called "cover feed." Then there's the "chat heads" messaging system -- it went live this morning in the Facebook Messenger app which pops up your friends profile pictures in little persistent bubbles. The traditional Facebook application is still there, of course.

Chat heads go live on Facebook Messenger as we await Facebook Home

Facebook app also updated to prep for Facebook Home's launch today

Facebook this morning has rolled out an update to its Facebook Messenger app -- and "chat heads" are now live! These are the little persistent notifications that you get when someone messages you. Tap it to open and reply. You can move it around on the screen, but it'll remain docked to an edge. To get rid of it, just press, hold and toss to the bottom of the screen.

If you use Facebook Messenger but hate chat heads, there's an option in the settings to turn them off when you're using other apps, so they won't just float on your screen.

The Facebook application itself also has gotten an update this morning, in preparation for Facebook Home. (Some bugs were also squashed, according to the new changelog.)

NYPD equipping officers with Android smartphones, new app

Android app arms police with real-time data

Some 400 police officers in New York have been equipped with Android smartphones and a new crime-fighting Android app under a pilot scheme, the New York Times reports.

The app is designed to give officers the ability to run person and address searches, bringing in information from several different sources. Officers can look up police records on individuals, including photos, and access vehicle registration records. The app is also fully location-aware -- NYPD officer Tom Donaldson told the NYT “If I see that in the last month, there have been six arrests on the seventh floor for drug trafficking, maybe I want to hang out on the seventh floor for a while.”

Police would previously have had to rely on cumbersome laptop-based systems in their patrol cars to retrieve this info, or radio details back to a dispatcher. The app, officers tell the NYT, offers a much easier way to access this data. Donaldson explains, “Our dispatcher will tell us if they have a warrant or not but it’s a simple yes or no answer. I don’t know if the guy is wanted for murder or for not paying a parking summons. We rarely know. Now we know.”

Cut the Rope: Time Travel coming soon from ZeptoLab

ZeptoLab announces the first new Cut the Rope series game in two years -- Cut the Rope: Time Travel

Cut the Rope is an insanely popular mobile game on both iOS and Android, and it's first sequel Cut the Rope Experiments was just as popular. Today, ZeptoLab has announced a third in the series named Cut the Rope: Time Travel.

We don't have much to go on yet. There's a trailer (find it after the break) but other than showing how adorable the little Om Nom character is, it leaves the rest to our imagination. We expect more of the same physics puzzles that help get candy into the cuddly little fellows mouth, and we're fine with that. Why ruin a good thing?

No word on any date or pricing, other than it will be launching for Android and iOS and that it is "almost here". We'll jump on it as soon as we see it, in the meantime hit the break for that trailer.

Google helps plan your afterlife in the cloud

Inactive accounts can now have data shared with a person of your choosing, then deleted if you set things up beforehand

The digital age is relatively new. It was only recently that folks started depending so heavily on electronic communications and services, which in turn saves -- at least in part -- your life in the cloud. Photographs of friends and loved ones, email correspondences, and school and work documents are all part of many people's digital footprints today. Google now has incorporated what they call the 'Inactive Account Manager' into Google services.

After a user-defined timeout period that starts from your last sign-in, your Google account will be classified as inactive. Before the end of the timeout period is reached, Google will send you a text or email notification. If Google receives no response from you, contacts of your choosing can be notified after the timeout period that you are no longer using your account. There's even an option to share data with those contacts at this time. Any of the following can be shared: +1s, Blogger, Contacts and Circles, Drive, Gmail, Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams, Picasa Web Albums, Google Voice and YouTube. A warning text and email will be sent before any data sharing occurs. The final step is account deletion after 3-12 months, which is completely optional. Google will erase your account and its contents if you so desire.

The Inactive Account Manager setup page can be found here. It's nice to see Google giving its users a tool to help plan for the unexpected. Whether you choose to simply delete your account or to share photos and documents with loved ones, this new tool has the potential to give a little extra peace of mind.

Dropbox update adds improved photo viewing, support for six languages

Every Dropbox photo can now be viewed in one place

More improvements in the way of picture handling have been added to Dropbox for version 2.3.5. In a recent update we saw albums and photo sharing added to Dropbox; with the latest update, we now get a better way to view stored photos from within the app. All previously uploaded photos will now be displayed for easy viewing in the photos section of the picture tab.

Localization also has been improved, with Dropbox learning six new languages: Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Russian, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese. The change log of v2.3.5 also boasts "tons of performance improvements."

The update is live right now in the Play Store for Dropbox users. Hit the link above to install or update.

HTC and Wallpaper* release Global Design Tours app

Virtual tours of design events Milan, New York and Hong Kong

HTC has released a new virtual tour app for Android in partnership with design magazine Wallpaper*. The app launches today with tours of design events in Milan, to be followed by New York and Hong Kong next month. The initial Milan tour, from the Salone del Mobile home furnishing show, includes guides from Wallpaper* editor-at-large Henrietta Thompson, One & Co (HTC's design consultancy) principal Claude Zellweger and designer Christian Zuzunaga.

Each one features 30-40 photos and an accompanying soundtrack. Bizarrely, though, the soundtrack isn't included, and here in the UK you're linked to each particular track on Amazon MP3. Same thing in the U.S.

The app is said to be optimized for the new HTC One, though it should run just fine on just about any phone running Android 4.0 or above. It's basic, but well-designed (natch). If you like pretty pictures of well-designed things, you can take a look by hitting the Google Play link above.

Sprint HTC One - the Android Central casual review

Network - not software or hardware - is the big difference in the Sprint HTC One, for better or worse

Finally, we're getting our first look at the U.S. versions of the HTC One, the phone that many believe (right or wrong) will either make or break the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer, which has been struggling financially for a number of quarters.

The HTC One represents a bit of a shift for HTC. As the name implies, it's one line. One brand. For all intents and purposes, we're looking at the same smartphone from Europe to Asia to the U.S., and everywhere in between. There will be a few small changes, of course -- radios and storage space and what not. And he U.S. carrier versions will have slightly different applications packages preloaded. But put, say, the Sprint HTC One beside an unlocked, European phone, and you'll not see a difference in looks, or in function. And maybe most important -- they're the same phone in name, finally giving HTC a proper platform to push its brand. That's something HTC has tried and failed at for a number of years, most notably with the 17 variants (more or less) in the originally attempt at the HTC One.

But no more.

I've had the Sprint HTC One for a week or so now, and I've had a European version for a number of weeks. There's simply no real difference in terms of hardware and functionality. For that, please see Alex Dobie's excellent comprehensive HTC One review.

We're going to do things a little differently here. What follows is not a deep dive into the Sprint HTC One. It's just not that different from what we've already reviewed. Instead, it's my thoughts on the HTC One in general and a breakdown of the specifics for Sprint's version. School's in session.

Chrome Beta updated with fullscreen mode, better search, tab history

Chrome's toolbar now hides automatically when scrolling down webpages

A new build is available for Chrome Beta users, moving the beta app's version to 27.0.1453.49. Those that have stuck with the stable version of Chrome might be persuaded to come over to the dark side thanks to the latest awesome feature: fullscreen mode.

Upon scrolling down a webpage, Chrome's toolbar will now completely disappear, giving a boost to the precious screen real estate that web page content can use. If a a web address needs to be typed in or the menu needs to be accessed, scrolling up will quickly restore the toolbar. This feature is currently for phones only.

Tablets get their own exclusive feature as well. Holding the browser back button will reveal a drop down area, with previously viewed tabs displayed in a vertical list. Viewing tab history doesn't get any easier.

All devices also receive a new and improved search function. Now when a search term is entered into the omnibox (address bar), it will stay in the omnibox -- instead of being replaced with a web address upon searching. This not only makes it easier to go back and edit search terms, but it eliminates the need for displaying a search box within the webpage, allowing more search results to be seen on the page.

Client-side certificate support was added to this release as well, allowing access to sites that require the use of a certificate. Users are given the option to select their desired certificate from any that are currently installed.

Expected bugs with this beta build include some lag and page flicker, as well as duplicate history items. If you don't already have Chrome Beta installed, follow the link at the top. Full release notes can be found below.

Microsoft Office now rumored for Android in (wait for it ...) 2014

An Android release may have to wait until PC, Mac, and Windows Phone updates are finished

An official Microsoft Office app release is one of those things that seems to get further away as time goes on. The last notable rumor pegged Microsoft's suite of apps coming to Android in March of 2013. The newest rumor, an alleged roadmap being reported by ZDNet, lists Office for Android coming in 'Gemini Wave 2.0,' or October 2014. The first two 'Gemini Waves' show Office updates for Windows Blue, Office for Mac, Office RT, and Windows Phone. Once the developers get these out of the way, Android and iOS are supposed to be next in line to receive Office apps.

According to this roadmap, Office just isn't in the stars for Android as a 2013 release. Even if this information is correct, it wouldn't be surprising to see the release pushed back further, and Windows Phone keeping an exclusive on Microsoft Office for the foreseeable future. Luckily Google has been preparing for such a scenario, with its acquisition of Quickoffice to beef up its own apps product suite. The free copies of Quickoffice bundled in Google devices and given to Google Apps for Business users will have to do while the wait for Office for Android continues.

Mother of Myth coming this summer to Android, iOS and PC - and it looks amazing

Playnery is bringing a new game engine and what looks like an awesome game to run it in the summer of 2013

Looking for some way to push that Snapdragon 600 in your new or soon-to-be-bought Android phone or tablet? Playnery has you covered. Mother of Myth will be cross platform with iOS and PC, and if it's half as good as the trailer makes it look, it's one I'll be buying on day one.

Based on what we know now, it's an action / adventure / RPG game with sizzling graphics (optimized for the latest and greatest from Qualcomm), a full back-story, character customization, and all the other bells and whistles that make for a great, immersive game of this nature.

Maybe the most exciting part is that the Playnery’s Bordeaux game engine was built on and with the Qualcomm platform. Ask anyone with a Tegra device and they will tell you that the optimized games are simply a step above anything else that's out there, and seeing a game of this caliber from developers who work with Qualcomm to make it great means your next phone or tablet can have great games no matter which processor is inside. We're looking forward to seeing what Playnary has to offer, and you should be too. Sign up for more info at the Mother of Myth site, and be sure to shout out at them in the forums to show your interest.

Google Play Music now available in Australia -- Update: and 6 other countries

Australians can now listen to their favorite music both on the web and their Android device with Google Play Music

Update: Google Play announced via their Google+ account that there are six other countries also getting the Play Music service: Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Portugal. For those about to rock, we salute you. The original story continues below.

Google has flipped their magic switch and made Google Play Music alive and well in the land down under. Users can buy music from Google Play on either the web or their Android device, and the cloud associated with their Google account will hold up to 20,000 of a users own music. The streaming service is available to 10 devices at a time, and the settings on the web version can be used to authorize and deauthorize devices.

The addition of Music means all Google Play services -- apps, games, books, movies, magazines and music -- are now available in Australia. You can find Google Play Music on the web right here, and download the application to your Android device via the Google Play link above.

The Masters Golf Tournament app updated for 2013 with live stream improvements

Now is the time to get ready for the most prestigious tournament of the year

The Masters golf tournament tees off on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, and right on time the official Masters Golf Tournament app has been updated for the occasion. The latest update today aims to improve the quality of the live streams this time around. The app will give you access to eight concurrent live streams, with enhanced coverage of the most popular holes around the course, available to any device with a data connection. You of course get live scoreboard coverage and news stories in the app as well.

The app is useful before the tournament itself even gets going, with coverage of practice rounds, the Par 3 Contest and extra analysis from experts. If you've got plans to follow The Masters this weekend, you'll need to have this app loaded on your device. Head to the Play Store link above and grab a download.

It's interesting that some of these apps already have free versions in the Play Store, and Disney chose to also offer their 99 cent counterparts for free. We don't know how long these apps will stay in the Play Store as free downloads, or if more will be added to the list, so download them now if any of these interest you or your kids. Temple Run has always been very popular, and Wreck-It Ralph was previously chosen as an App of the Week. Feel free to hit the comments with your own picks and recommendations.

Update: Apparently that was a temporary feature bug, and you should now have to shell out for the apps again. Hope you grabbed 'em while you could.

Google Play Store gets a new look

Google's content portal gets a lighter, brighter visual refresh

Following some recent leakage, it seems the new look Google Play Store app is finally official. Google has just announced that the new-look Play Store app will begin rolling out to Android devices today.

In today's announcement post on the official Android blog, Google says the new-look app is aimed to be "simple" and "clean," with a renewed focus on entertainment content. Based on the official promo images, that certainly seems to be the case -- Google Now-like greys and whites dominate the UI, while a lot of screen space is given to large images for music, movie and book content.

The purchasing process has also been streamlined, Google says, which hopefully means fewer taps to buy apps and other content through this new version of the store.

The new Google Play Store will begin pushing automatically to devices running Android 2.2 Froyo and above starting today, so keep a lookout in the hours ahead. In the meantime, hit the comments if you've managed to get it already.